What's your preference?

A few weeks ago, I went out to the forest with friends. Looking through the pictures, I decided to give a couple of them a 'black and white' treatment. Which picture is better depends on who you ask that question.

The original (albeit pruned for size):

The black and white:

What do you prefer?

A sample survey revealed that folks who have an 'artistic' bent preferred the black and white. As with any B&W photo, it has a mystery element and feeds the fertile imagination of artistic minds.

Personally, I like the B&W and I have no artistic bent whatsoever :-)